7 Day Green Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan (PDF + Menu) (2024)

The Green Mediterranean Diet is a healthy and sustainable approach to eating that can provide a number of health benefits.

It follows a similar eating pattern to a traditional Mediterranean diet, but with more emphasis on eating plant-based foods and completely eliminating red and processed meat.

This article will cover the basics of following a Green Mediterranean diet and have a sample 7 day plan to follow.

What is the Green Mediterranean Diet?

The Green Mediterranean Diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet, emphasizing high intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, along with moderate consumption of fish, dairy and poultry.

However, the Green Mediterranean diet goes even further. It focuses on totally eliminating red and processed meats and having higher quantities of plant-based proteins. It also encourages certain foods like walnuts, duckweed and green tea.

It is also high in healthy fats, particularly olive oil, which is the primary cooking agent. This, along with other healthy fats from foods like nuts and seeds, helps reduce inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease.

The traditional Mediterranean Diet isn’t a fad diet and is considered a sustainable way of eating that should be maintained long-term.

What’s Included in the Green Mediterranean Diet?

• Fruits and vegetables: Particularly leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and others.
• Whole grains: Brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat bread for example.
• Beans and legumes: Such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans.
• Nuts and seeds: Like almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds.
• Healthy fats: Particularly olive oil
• Dairy and fish: In moderate amounts, with particular emphasis on fatty fish like salmon and sardines.

Specific items included in the Green Mediterranean Diet are:

• Duckweed: This is an ingredient you wouldn’t eat on a traditional diet and is tough to find too. It is used as a high-protein plant shake that can partially replace some meat. Duckweed is recommended because it is a plant-based source of B12 vitamin, which red meat in particular contains a lot of. However, B12 can also be found in foods like dairy, eggs, fish and other meat and therefore, isn’t that essential for a healthy, balanced diet.
• Walnuts: These are recommended within a traditional Mediterranean Diet, but are emphasized even more within a Green Mediterranean Diet. This is likely because walnuts are a plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. Since the diet encourages less animal protein from fish (but still allowed), walnuts can help replace a likely reduction in omega-3 fats.
• Green Tea: Most research finds that green tea has a stronger antioxidant profile than black tea and although they both contain caffeine, black tea usually has more. Therefore, it can be viewed as a better alternative for someone who likes to drink hot beverages.

Green Mediterranean Diet vs Traditional Mediterranean Diet

Although they are very similar, there are a couple of differences between the two:

1. Green Mediterranean Diet completely eliminates red and processed meat from the diet: The traditional Mediterranean diet is less restrictive in this sense, since it does allow an occasional, small amount of this type of meat. For example, you may occasionally eat some lean beef mince, lamb or pork (normally a few servings per month). Although processed foods are discouraged on the traditional Mediterranean diet as well, you will see some recipes using processed meats such as chorizo.
2. Green Mediterranean Diet encourages even more consumption of plant-based foods:Although there isn’t a specific increase given vs a traditional Mediterranean Diet, plant-based foods are encouraged even more so. The plant-based foods eaten on both are generally the same, but since the Green Mediterranean Diet encourages the reduction of animal proteins as well (such as poultry and fish), this allows for extra plant-based proteins (such as beans, legumes and nuts).
3. The Green Mediterranean Diet encourages certain foods: These include walnuts, green tea and duckweed. Walnuts are encouraged to be eaten anyway and green tea is allowed on the traditional diet. Duckweed isn’t a traditional food eaten and is quite hard to find in most supermarkets, so isn’t something that isn’t usually eaten. However, it isn’t a food that would be restricted on a Mediterranean diet since it is a good plant-based protein, which is generally encouraged within the diet.

Benefits of the Green Mediterranean Diet

Since it is relatively new, there aren’t a lot of studies that specifically like the Green Mediterranean Diet. However, the ones that are available look promising and maybe even better than a traditional diet:

• 2022 study published in BMC Medicine: a Green Mediterranean Diet reduced more visceral fat than a traditional Mediterranean Diet (14% vs 7%)
• 2021 study published in BMJ: a Green Mediterranean Diet may amplify the benefits of a Mediterranean diet related to cardiometabolic effects, such as reducing waist circumference, reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol and reducing diastolic blood pressure.
• 2022 study in AJCN: a Green Mediterranean Diet protected against age-related brain atrophy better due to its high polyphenol content.

7 Day Green Mediterranean Diet Plan

7 Day Sample Menu

In the meal plan are recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Snacks are recommended between meal times. Some good snacks include:

• A handful of nuts or seeds
• A piece of fruit
• Carrots or baby carrots
• Berries or grapes

Day 1: Monday

Breakfast: Banana Yogurt Pots

Nutrition

• Calories – 236
• Protein – 14g
• Carbs – 32g
• Fat – 7g

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 225g /⅞ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 bananas, sliced into chunks
• 15g / 2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped

Instructions

1. Place some of the yogurt into the bottom of a glass. Add a layer of banana, then yogurt and repeat. Once the glass is full, scatter with the nuts.

Lunch: Cannellini Bean Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 302
• Protein – 20g
• Carbs – 54g
• Fat – 0g

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 600g / 3 cups cannellini beans
• 70g / ⅜ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
• small bunch basil, torn

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain the beans and mix with the tomatoes, onion and vinegar. Season, then add basil just before serving.

Dinner: Squash and Lentil Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 409
• Protein – 17g
• Carbs – 58g
• Fat – 14g

Prep time + cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 500g / 2 ½ cups butternut squash, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp basil leaves
• ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard
• 400g / 1 cup can lentils
• ½ red onion sliced
• 50g / 1 ⅔ cups spinach
• 75g / ½ cup cherry tomatoes,
• halved
• 20g / ⅕ cup feta cheese
• 1 tbsp mixed seeds, optional

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. On a baking tray, place butternut squash, olive oil, garlic clove, basil & seasoning. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until tender.
2. Mix together vinegar, ½ tbsp olive oil, wholegrain mustard and 1-2 tbsp water. Drain the water from the puy lentils and add the red onion, spinach and tomatoes.
3. Divide the lentils between plates. Top with the butternut squash, then crumble over feta cheese and sprinkle the mixed seeds.

Day 2: Tuesday

Breakfast: Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 177
• Protein – 5g
• Carbs – 13g
• Fat – 13g

Prep time + cook time:5 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 120g / ⅝ cups tomatoes, chopped
• ½ watermelon, cut into chunks
• 50g / ⅔ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. For the dressing, Mix the oil, vinegar, chilli flakes and mint and then season.
2. Put the tomatoes and watermelon into a bowl. Pour over the dressing, add the feta, then serve.

Lunch: Edgy Veggie Wraps

Nutrition

• Calories – 310
• Protein – 11g
• Carbs – 39g
• Fat – 11g

Prep time + cook time:10 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 100g / ½ cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 6 Kalamata olives
• 2 large wholemeal tortilla wraps
• 50g / ¼ cups feta cheese
• 2 tbsp hummus

Instructions

1. Chop the tomatoes, cut the cucumber into sticks, split the olives and remove the stones.
2. Heat the tortillas.
3. Spread the houmous over the wrap. Put the vegetable mix in the middle and roll up.

Dinner: Spicy Tomato Baked Eggs

Nutrition

• Calories – 417
• Protein – 19g
• Carbs – 45g
• Fat – 17g

Prep time + cook time:25 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded & chopped
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• small bunch coriander, stalks and leaves chopped separately
• 800g can / 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• brown bread, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan with a lid, then cook the onions, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomatoes, then simmer for 8-10 minutes.
2. Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 dips in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one. Put a lid on the pan, then cook over a low heat for 6-8 mins, until the eggs are done to your liking. Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve with bread.

Day 3: Wednesday

Breakfast: Blueberry Oats Bowl

Nutrition

• Calories – 235
• Protein – 13g
• Carbs – 38g
• Fat – 4g

Prep time + cook time:10 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 60g porridge oats
• 160g Greek yogurt
• 175g blueberries
• 1 tsp honey

Instructions

1. Put the oats in a pan with 400ml of water. Heat and stir for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add a third of the yogurt.
2. Tip the blueberries into a pan with the honey and 1 tbsp of water. Gently poach until the blueberries are tender.
3. Spoon the porridge into bowls and add the remaining yogurt and blueberries.

Lunch: Carrot, Orange and Avocado Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 177
• Protein – 5g
• Carbs – 13g
• Fat – 13g

Prep time + cook time:5 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 orange, plus zest and juice of 1
• 2 carrots, halved lengthways and sliced with a peeler
• 35g / 1 ½ cups rocket / arugula
• 1 avocado, stoned, peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Cut the segments from 1 of the oranges and put in a bowl with the carrots, rocket/arugula and avocado. Whisk together the orange juice, zest and oil. Toss through the salad, and season.

Dinner: Salmon with Potatoes and Corn Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 479
• Protein – 43g
• Carbs – 27g
• Fat – 21g

Prep time + cook time:30 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 200g / 1 ⅓ cups baby new potatoes
• 1 sweetcorn cob
• 2 skinless salmon fillets
• 60g / ⅓ cups tomatoes
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Bunch of spring onions/scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
• handful basil leaves

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, adding corn for final 5 minutes. Drain & cool.
2. For the dressing, mix the vinegar, oil, shallot, capers, basil & seasoning.
3. Heat grill to high. Rub some dressing on salmon & cook, skinned side down, for 7-8 minutes. Slice tomatoes & place on a plate. Slice the potatoes, cut the corn from the cob & add to plate. Add the salmon & drizzle over the remaining dressing.

Day 4: Thursday

Breakfast: Banana Yogurt Pots

Lunch: Mixed Bean Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 240
• Protein – 11g
• Carbs – 22g
• Fat – 12g

Prep time + cook time:10 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 145g / ⅘ cups jar artichoke heart in oil
• ½ tbsp sundried tomato paste
• ½ tsp red wine vinegar
• 200g can / 1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 150g / ¾ cups tomatoes, quartered
• handful Kalamata black olives
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 100g / ⅔ cups feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Drain the jar of artichokes, reserving 1-2 tbsp of oil. Add the oil, sun-dried tomato paste and vinegar and stir until smooth. Season to taste.
2. Chop the artichokes and tip into a bowl. Add the cannellini beans, tomatoes, olives, spring onions and half of the feta cheese. Stir in the artichoke oil mixture and tip into a serving bowl. Crumble over the remaining feta cheese, then serve.

Dinner: Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup

Nutrition

• Calories – 238
• Protein – 11g
• Carbs – 34g
• Fat – 7g

Prep time + cook time:25 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• pinch chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 300g /2 cups carrots, washed and coarsely grated
• 70g / ⅓ cup split red lentils
• 500ml / 2 ¼ cups hot vegetable stock
• 60ml / ¼ cup milk
• Greek yogurt, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat a large saucepan and dry fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 minute. Scoop out about half of the seeds with a spoon and set aside. Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils have swollen and softened.
2. Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Season to taste and finish with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted spices.

Day 5: Friday

Breakfast: Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Lunch: Panzanella Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 452
• Protein – 6g
• Carbs – 37g
• Fat – 25g

Prep time + cook time:10 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 400g / 2 cups tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
• 1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and chopped
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 slices of brown bread
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• small handful basil leaves

Instructions

1. Chop the tomatoes and put them in a bowl. Season well and add the garlic, capers, avocado and onion. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, tear the bread into chunks and place in a bowl. Drizzle over half of the olive oil and half of the vinegar. When ready to serve, scatter tomatoes and basil leaves and drizzle with remaining oil and vinegar. Stir before serving.

Dinner: Med Chicken, Quinoa and Greek Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 473
• Protein – 36g
• Carbs – 57g
• Fat – 25g

Prep time + cook time:20 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 100g / ⅗ cup quinoa
• ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 150g / ¾ cup tomatoes, roughly chopped
• handful pitted black kalamata olives
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• 50g / ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• small bunch mint leaves, chopped
• juice and zest ½ lemon

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa following the pack instructions, then rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly.
2. Meanwhile, toss the chicken fillets in the olive oil with some seasoning, chilli and garlic. Lay in a hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside
3. Next, tip the tomatoes, olives, onion, feta and mint into a bowl. Toss in the cooked quinoa. Stir through the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and season well. Serve with the chicken on top.

Day 6: Saturday

Breakfast: Blueberry Oats Bowl

Lunch: Quinoa and Stir Fried Veg

Nutrition

• Calories – 473
• Protein – 11g
• Carbs – 56g
• Fat – 25g

Prep time + cook time:30 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 100g / ⅗ cup quinoa
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into thin sticks
• 150g / 1 ⅔ leek, sliced
• 1 broccoli head, cut into small florets
• 50g / ¼ cup tomatoes
• 100ml / ¼ cup vegetable stock
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• juice ½ lemon

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a pan, then add the garlic and quickly fry for 1 minute. Throw in the carrots, leeks and broccoli, then stir-fry for 2 minutes until everything is glistening.
2. Add the tomatoes, mix together the stock and tomato purée, then add to the pan. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the quinoa and toss in the remaining oil and lemon juice. Divide between warm plates and spoon the vegetables on top.

Dinner: Grilled Vegetables with Bean Mash

Nutrition

• Calories – 314
• Protein – 19g
• Carbs – 33g
• Fat – 16g

Prep time + cook time:40 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 pepper, deseeded & quartered
• 1 aubergine, sliced lengthways
• 2 courgettes, sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• For the mash
• 400g / 2 cups haricot beans, rinsed
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 100ml / ½ cup vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander

Instructions

1. Heat the grill. Arrange the vegetables over a grill pan &brush lightly with oil. Grill until lightly browned, turn them over, brush again with oil, then grill until tender.
2. Meanwhile, put the beans in a pan with garlic and stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Mash roughly with a potato masher. Divide the vegetables and mash between 2 plates, drizzle over oil and sprinkle with black pepper and coriander.

Day 7: Sunday

Breakfast: Banana Yogurt Pots

Lunch: Moroccan Chickpea Soup

Nutrition

• Calories – 408
• Protein – 15g
• Carbs – 63g
• Fat – 11g

Prep time + cook time:25 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 300ml / 1 ¼ cups hot vegetable stock
• 200g can / 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 200g can / 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 50g / ¼ cup frozen broad beans
• zest and juice ½ lemon
• coriander & bread to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, then fry the onion and celery for 10 minutes until softened. Add the cumin and fry for another minute.
2. Turn up the heat, then add the stock, tomatoes, chickpeas and black pepper. Simmer for 8 minutes. Add broad beans and lemon juice and cook for a further 2 minutes. Top with lemon zest and coriander.

Dinner: Spicy Mediterranean Beet Salad

Nutrition

• Calories – 548
• Protein – 23g
• Carbs – 58g
• Fat – 20g

Prep time + cook time:40 minutes

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 8 raw baby beetroots, or 4 medium, scrubbed
• ½ tbsp sumac
• ½ tbsp ground cumin
• 400g can /2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 200g / ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes
• mint leaves, chopped, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Halve or quarter beetroots depending on size. Mix spices together. On a large baking tray, mix chickpeas and beetroot with the oil. Season with salt & sprinkle over the spices. Mix again. Roast for 30 minutes.
2. While the vegetables are cooking, mix the lemon zest and juice with the yogurt. Swirl the harissa through and spread into a bowl. Top with the beetroot & chickpeas, and sprinkle with the chilli flakes & mint.

Green Mediterranean Diet Shopping List

This shopping list corresponds to the 7 day plan, serving 2 people. No snacks are included.

Life After the Meal Plan

Find more recipes on our site

Your journey doesn’t end after 7 days of Mediterranean-style recipes. It’s about finding recipes that can become staples in your household and creating eating habits that actually last.

We’ve got plenty of recipes online already. Just use the search function on our home page if you’re looking for a specific ingredient or check out our recipe page.

Start a 28 Day Mediterranean Diet Plan

We’ve created a 4-week Mediterranean diet meal plan that follows the same format as this 7-day meal plan pdf. In it contains four weeks of meal plans, recipes, shopping lists and prep guides – all available in digital format.

Click here to grab your copy of the 28 day Mediterranean diet plan!

Disclosure

We would like to take a moment to note that this post is for information purposes only. It does not claim to provide medical advice or to be able to treat any medical condition. It makes no claims in respect to weight loss, either in terms of the amount or rate at which weight loss could be achieved. If you have any concerns regarding your health please contact your medical practitioner before making changes.